Pages

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Louie picked up the picture...

Louie picked up the picture laying on his desk.His heart skipped one beat, thenanother.He blinked twice.If he inhaled too deep, his chest ached.How had she found him?

He laid the picture back down.Picking up the envelope he’d recently opened,he glanced toward the office door.Good,it was shut.No one would dare botherhim for another thirty minutes.Being theboss had its moments, like taking lunches behind closed doors that nonequestioned.Well except Bettina, and shedidn’t follow protocol unless she made the declaration.Sometimes her queenly ass could be a royalpain.Their nightly strolls down to MissElly’s dinner for Red Blood Sundaes had folks talking.Miss Elly’s homemade ice cream topped withher secret chocolate sauce and dark Bing cherries cured many a shifter’s sweettooth.Bettina’s cravings had clearedout Louie’s baked goods as fast he could make them until he introduce Bettinato Miss Elly.Now sanity reigned most ofthe time.

Louie turned the envelope over, examining front andback.No return address.A smeared postmark revealed little of thecity of origin.The date showed1974.Thirty years plus.Where had the time gone?His little---no his grown daughter might be aparent herself.Maybe even agrandmother.Easing the card out of theyellowed envelope, Louie stared at the simple lettering stating Happy Father’sDay.His hand shook as he opened thecard.

The usual generic verse about Dads and their importancedecorated one side of the inside two pages.A handwritten note on the opposite page caught his attention.Louie swallowed hard.He knuckled a tear off his cheek as he read.

Louis,

Bythe time you receive this, Arisa and I will be gone.There was a time when love would have kept me by your side and ourdaughter not asking where Daddy is as I tuck her into bed each night.Your choices proved too costly and dangerousfor our safety to stay.

Nomatter how good the money and prestige, working for the mob, especially thesupernatural mob, is not worth putting your wife and child at risk.Maybesomeday, I’ll tell Arisa the truth about her father.Until then you are as dead as your name.Thank the Gods I never took your name.Nor do you know my real name.There was a time I would have trusted you withthat.Not now, probably never will youknow who I am.

Why am I even sending this picture to you?Maybe I want you to hurt as much as you’vehurt me.You’ll never know your daughter’slove or see her grow up.I will andevery day I’ll be the center of her world, not you.

Louie carefully laid the carddown.He pushed away from his desk.He moved toward the window closest tohim.Closing the blind, he inhaled.No one would see the tears he needed toshed.He turned and made his way acrossthe office.

Life on the streets in NewJersey taught him many lessons, hard ones and ones that remained with him tothis day.Trust never came easily.It was earned and could be taken away just aseasily.Lord, how he had that oneknocked into his head many life times over.He’d taken risks along the way.Learned that life was given for a reason.He didn’t regret many of the last few choiceshe’d made.The one big one he did wasnot finding his daughter before now.

Louie lay down on the couch he keptin the office for late nights and naps.He needed one.Once he woke up,Mooney, Nick, and Penelope’s Aussie Penguin were getting a visit.Somewhere out there a daughter waited for herfather to find her.This Father’s Daysignified a new beginning.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy Weekend Gang! Happy Father's Day to all our male readers! I'm glad the warm weather is here without the abundance of a heatwave. What a week! Two nights of power outages. One last Sunday authorities say a raccoon juiced himself on. Last night another two! The joke around the spice homestead is a squirrel or two decided to try jury rigging their power supply. Watch out Gill!

Copyright Notice

**All written materials featured on this blog are protected under copyright. Any use of part or all of this material without the express written permission of the author is an infringement of personal creative property and subject to legal action**

Links

Facebook

Serena Shay

Pat Cunningham

Solara Gordon

Rebecca Gillan

The Mountain Lion King

Cougar shifter Rick Donnelly has his hands, and his arms, full protecting runaway tiger bride Nilambari. What happens when her vicious husband-to-be comes looking for her? AVAILABLE at *Smashwords Premium Catalog* & Amazon Kindle

Jessalina's Pets

Lady Jessalina buys a pair of "pets" at the slave market, and gets far more than she bargained for.

Tina's Treasures

The Submission

Two is better than one. Most would agree with that statement, but not full-blooded shifter LeAnn Turone. Accepting her need for multiple partners means facing a lifetime in a one-sided triad. Rick Taylor and Trent Warren each think they’ve found their mate in LeAnn until they also find themselves attracted to one another.Each member of this triad must free themselves from the fear of the future and submit to the greater power of love.

Catching The Hunter

An elfin huntlord and his lovely tracker attempt to catch an assassin who's been slipping through everyone's fingers, all while trying to keep their minds on the job and off each other.

Hot For Torrey

Can these star-crossed lovers reignite their passion?

Temptation and Tights

A superhero falls in love with his arch-nemesis. Holy doomed relationships! Available from Siren/Bookstrand

A Magical Return

Conleth “Cole” Douglas and Emterra “Irene” Azzurra, vessels to a magical race called the Others, are compelled to save their town from a dark evil. The question is—will they save their love as well?

Legacy

Two men--one human, one a vampire--and the woman who finds herself falling in love with them both.

Jet Lag Blues

Val‘s ultimate fantasy, a threesome with Darryl and Mason, is coming true. Sharing the one woman they deeply care for is a new experience for both. Neither Mason nor Darryl wants to jeopardize their long-term friendship. Can a frank discussion turn a burning hot threesome into a triad of love?

Belonging

Can a prostitute find happiness with the vampire he loves? Available in e-book and print.

Equal Partners

One ancient hunter on the trail of a murdurous elf. One human witch doctor who fails to see why his mission means they can't be together. One moronic assassin who isn't nearly as beautiful or smart as she thinks she is. Oh, and a chicken.

The Challenge

Marina Jamison is a mystery. As a half-breed shapeshifter, she lives on the fringe of were-jaguar society. Though her love for pride leader Bastian LaRue is forbidden, she finds herself tied to him by a bond stronger than their individual wills, a psychic link born from their one-night stand. When her secret is revealed, she is scorned and excluded. Neither Bastian nor the pride can accept a half-breed queen.

A London Werewolf in America

Can a hot werewolf with a British accent and a vegetarian witch find love while dodging assassins? Available in e-book and print.

Red Hot

It isn’t the flames or smoke that worry Fire Chief Brent Stephens. What worries him the most is the heat his libido keeps throwing off every time he gets near Bunny Kater. Bunny’s sworn off firemen, and intimacy—never mind that she’s worn out a vibrator or two along the way—that is, until she meets Brent.

Best of Breed

Adele has been masquerading as a dog. But can she hide her heart from the werewolf hunter?

Coyote Moon

Willy's half werewolf and not looking for a man. Cody's a coyote and on the prowl for a mate. Poor Willy doesn't stand a chance ...